Health Matters (AIR POLLUTION)
Greetings friends of Steemit and Healthy Steem
| What are the main sources of air pollution in our environment? |
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Let's understand the main causes of air pollution. We can measure air pollution in different ways. We can measure it daily, monthly, and seasonally. We can also measure air pollution annually.
There are some causes that you can find throughout the year. For example, car pollution or industrial pollution. Because of this, AQI remains high throughout the year in cities like Delhi. But there is a specific cause that makes North India a hell, especially in November. This is stubble burning.
Dust is a major source of air pollution. But dust enters into the air due to rough roads or construction. You must have seen how much dust enters into the air when a car passes through a rough road. We don't realize this, but it's a major cause of air pollution.
When there's construction, a lot of dust enters the air, especially when digging is involved.
The second biggest source is pollution from vehicles.
| How does air pollution affect human health, especially vulnerable groups like children and the elderly? |
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Effects of pollution On Senior Citizen
Air pollution affects the cognition skills of senior citizens
Air pollution aggravates existing heart problems.
Air pollution is directly related to heart diseases, strokes and may also lead to furring of the arteries also known as atherosclerosis.
Ultrafine Particles have Been Found in Reproductive Organs.
Air pollution may lead to strokes among senior citizens. The ultrafine air pollutants that cause stroke are found in the samples of brain and central nervous system tissue.
Exposure to air pollution makes asthma worse.
Exposure to air pollution increases the risk of getting lung cancer.
The ultrafine particles easily get into the blood and is passed into the other body organs.
| What are some common symptoms or health issues caused by exposure to polluted air? |
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Some of the major health hazards associated with air pollution are
| Respiratory Problems | Cardiovascular Diseases | Neurological Effects | Other Health Effects |
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| Asthma | Heart Attacks | Cognitive Impairment | Birth Defects |
| Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) | High Blood Pressure | Neurodegenerative Diseases | Mental Health |
| Lung Cancer | - | - | Infection |
| How can individuals contribute to reducing air pollution in their daily lives? |
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We should ban seasonal sources like Diwali firecrackers and stubble burning. It's a low-hanging fruit.
A temporary solution to stop air pollution to use sprinklers. That's why the Delhi government is using these sprinklers to add moisture to the dust and prevent the dust from entering into the air. A permanent solution comes only when you can remove the dust completely. That's why we have to build more paved roads. Fixing roads will create a multiplier effect which will reduce dust, people will start cycling, pedestrians will start walking and emissions from vehicles will also be reduced. Then we'll have to stop sweeping. Instead, we'll have to use mechanized sweeping to remove dust from the system. There should be a green cover on the construction site so that dust doesn't reach the city. Basically, if we remove the dust from the road and construction, then the 30-40% of a year's pollution in many cities will be reduced.
Delhi, the contribution of dust is 38% in pollution. Vehicle emissions, which is 20%. So if you solve the dust and vehicle emissions, 60% of the problems are solved.
We need to electrify our vehicles so that pollution isn't created in the first place.
That's why the optimal solution is to increase public transport infrastructure.
| How does air pollution vary between urban and rural areas? |
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Due to stubble burning in rural areas of Punjab and Haryana, in cities like Delhi in October-November, the contribution of stubble burning is 32% in air pollution. But we can assume that this is the case in other cities of the Indo-Gangetic Plains in North India due to burning of stubble in the states of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
In cities like Delhi and Bengaluru, 30-40% of PM2.5 pollution is due to dust. Because PM 2.5 particles, which are created when we burn something, whether it's petrol, diesel, or coal, are more dangerous for humans. So, the particles created by burning are more dangerous than dust.
Thank you for reading my post.
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@chiagoziee
@eveetim
@georgitsachev